Select the correct indirect form of the given sentence.
He said," I am so sorry! I totally forgot about the meeting".
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct indirect form of the given sentence is:OPTION 2
He apologized and said that he had totally forgotten about the meeting.
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Apologized instead of "said": Since the original sentence expresses regret, "apologized" is a more appropriate verb than simply "said."
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Tense change ("forgot" to "had forgotten"): In indirect speech, the past tense "forgot" changes to the past perfect "had forgotten" to show that the forgetting occurred before the time of speaking.
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Combining sentences: The two parts of the sentence ("I am so sorry" and "I totally forgot about the meeting") are appropriately linked in indirect speech to avoid repetition.
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Incorrect options explained:
- Option 1 ("He is being sorry..."): Incorrect because "is being sorry" is not standard English and does not correctly reflect the tense or structure.
- Option 3 ("He was so sorry..."): Incorrect because "had totally forgot" is grammatically incorrect; it should be "had totally forgotten."
- Option 4 ("Having forgotten totally..."): Incorrect because it is awkwardly phrased and does not reflect proper indirect speech.